


Virtually Yours

by FallingLikeThis



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Boys Kissing, Dubious Science, M/M, Science Fiction, Soulmates, Virtual Reality
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-27
Updated: 2015-01-27
Packaged: 2018-03-09 08:19:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,246
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3242756
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FallingLikeThis/pseuds/FallingLikeThis
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In the future, science has discovered a way to help people find their soulmates by virtually navigating their subconscious. If you can find your way to their heart, you've found your soul mate. Louis has been through the process far too many times. He's just about ready to give up and admit defeat.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Virtually Yours

**Author's Note:**

> Just a quick one shot I wrote while trying to find my muse for I Would Take a Whisper. (I found it.) ;)

 

 

The maze to the heart is riddled with traps and Louis finds himself floundering as he traverses it.

Before him stand seven doors, each leading to a different location. He knows instinctively that only one will lead him down the correct path.

Louis studies the doors. They are all the same, seemingly innocuous but one could hold his future. The road to his soulmate. The only thing setting the doors apart are the small numbers, one through seven, etched into each one at eye level. There are no hints as to where any one might lead.

 _Which do I choose_? Louis wonders, worrying his bottom lip between his teeth. He’s done this too many times, searched too many hearts that don’t belong beating next to his. He’s getting closer each day to giving up on the idea of a soulmate altogether. He’s panicking.

“Follow your heart,” a voice calls from behind him.

Louis jumps, his heart stuttering at the unexpected fright, and turns to the voice.  There’s a young man there. Probably not much younger than Louis. Also, unquestionably beautiful with shining green eyes, hair that cascades to his shoulders in curls and waves, and dimples that make an appearance when he grins. His appearance is slightly disconcerting because Louis has been through this program too many times to count and he’s never encountered another person. Are they both in the same pathway program?

“Who are you? Did the staff put us both with the same person?” Louis asks.

The other man shakes his head with a smirk. “I’m just a part of the program.”

“Well, you’re a part I haven’t encountered before, so excuse me if I’m suspicious,” Louis says, still studying the other man even as he moves closer until he’s standing near enough to touch.

Louis reaches out and touches the man’s wrist. It feels solid beneath his fingers. Skin smooth. He wraps his hand around the wrist bringing it closer for better inspection. “You feel so real.”

“I’m as real as you are, Louis,” the man says making Louis raise his gaze from the arm he’s commandeered to look straight into his eyes, “for someone running through a virtual program to find his soulmate.”

Louis is so close and the other man’s smile is so inviting, he has the urge to lean in and capture it with a kiss. And that’s just insane, isn’t it? To feel drawn to a program? He clears his throat, dropping the other man’s arm and backing up a step.

“So, why haven’t I come across you before?”

“I only appear in the program under a specific set of circumstances. Like when a VIP customer is worried that the program isn’t working even as they are linked into it, waiting for their soulmate to find a way through their heartscape. Or if they’re the one in here, searching for the right path and starting to wonder if such a thing even exists. I’m a last resort, I guess you could say.”

Louis grows more confused and frustrated the longer program-hottie rambles on.

“So, wait. VIP customers? The rich and elite get to cheat at finding their soulmate? How is that fair? And I certainly didn’t pay more than the standard fee, so why have I been linked to a VIP? I mean, I suppose I could actually be their soulmate, money doesn’t really make a difference to the heart but… no, wait. Where was I?” Louis trails off for a moment, managing to confuse himself even more.

“Righteous indignation,” totally-lickable-program-guy answers looking far more amused than Louis would think a virtual personality should be able to. “The rich being able to cheat at matters of the heart.”

“You’re not going to deny it?” Louis asks dubiously.

“I would. But it’s so entertaining. Please go on,” irritating-in-just-the-right-way says waving Louis on and sitting down, getting comfortable like Louis’ going to put on a show for him.

Louis sighs.

“So, basically, you’re telling me that it’s all a scam. That I’ve been wasting my money because soulmates just go to the highest bidder. That there’s no…”

 _Hope_ , Louis can’t manage to make himself say. He’s been so lonely for so long.

Unabashedly-sincere-and-even-more-beautiful-with-each-passing-second gets to his feet again and smiles sadly at Louis as he reaches out and brushes a strand of hair out of Louis’ eyes. “You beautiful idiot. That’s not what I’m saying at all. Who says that  _you_  aren’t the VIP customer? Not paying more, doesn’t make you less important.”

Louis closes his eyes at the caress of virtual flesh against his cheek. He longs for real flesh to touch him like that. Breathing deeply, Louis opens his eyes again and smiles at uncannily-his-type.

“Follow my heart, yeah?”

Louis is rewarded with a proud smile and a nod.

He looks back at the doors and zeroes in on the one his heart is screaming at him to take. Two is the magic number. After all, it embodies everything he wants. Two hearts, two hands holding each other, two bodies entwined in the dark of night.

Louis walks over and reaching out, twists the knob to his chosen door. It swings open easily and he stands at the entryway, only the slightest bit afraid to walk through.

And then, because his heart isn’t done giving him direction yet, Louis turns back to so-perfect-it’s-almost-scary and takes his hand, pulling him through the door as well.

It’s the right choice.

 

~@~

Louis wakes from his journey through his soulmate’s heartscape afraid that it was all a dream or that he’s somehow failed again. But then he’s being led to a meeting room, and Louis knows that only people who have succeeded in finding their soulmate get to see the insides of these rooms.

He waits nervously, unable to sit still. He knows it will take time. The ones who aren’t active in the heartscape program have a harder time re-acclimating once it’s over. Someone has just been inside their head for however long and that’s a difficult thing to accept for most people. It’s why Louis has never been on that end of the program. He’s too afraid to leave himself open for people like that.

He’s pacing when he hears the door crack open. Whirling around at the sound, he sees a familiar face peaking in.

He’s even more beautiful in the non-virtual flesh and Louis has a hard time keeping his heart from cracking his ribs in an attempt to escape and throw itself at the man standing in the doorway.

The door opens the rest of the way and  _beautiful-perfect-MINE_  finally steps inside and a member of staff is there introducing Louis to his soulmate. His Harry.

Harry reaches out as though to shake Louis’ hand and steps forward. Louis is reaching out to reciprocate when Harry trips over his feet and Louis ends up catching him instead. With his lips. Yep, Harry has fallen onto his face. And given the smile that is ruining their first kiss, Louis is going to guess that the man did it on purpose.

Which makes him truly perfect for Louis, really. Louis would do the same thing. In a heartbeat.

Louis tangles his fingers in Harry’s hair and attempts to deepen the kiss. Harry allows it, a little  _mmm_  escaping as he pulls Louis even closer.

“Oops,” Harry says, laughter in his tone when they finally part.

“Hi,” Louis answers with a smile.

 

Oh, the things they’re going to do together.

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Please let me know if anything was too confusing and I will go back and try to clear it up.


End file.
